The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), Akure Zone has disclosed that the industrial action embarked upon by the union may last years if the Federal Government refuses to honour its agreement with the union holistically.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that ASUU had on March 23, 2020, declared a “total and indefinite strike” over the failure of the Federal Government to implementing the 2009 agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding in 2013 and the Memorandum of Actions signed in 2017 and 2019 respectively and over the lingering crisis on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.
Addressing newsmen at the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Akure Zone ASUU coordinator Prof Olu Olufayo noted that the Federal Government had stopped negotiation with the lecturers until the recent eruption of violence during #EndSARS protests.
“It is unfortunate that the government in the country does not care the quality of education available for the children of ordinary Nigerians since their children schooled abroad, hence, their refusal to honour the various agreement reached with ASUU for almost eleven years. We have also resolved to remain on strike for as long as possible to ensure that the FG commit to the agreement and take concrete steps towards ensuring quality public university education in the country.
Also, the union leader stated that the body is surprised that the federal government is calling it back to the round table for negotiation during the #EndSARS protest, having neglected it during the six months of the pandemic that forced the closure of schools across the country.
“It is unfortunate that the government in the country does not care the quality of education available for the children of ordinary Nigerians since their children schooled abroad, hence, their refusal to honour the various agreement reached with ASUU for almost eleven years. We have also resolved to remain on strike for as long as possible to ensure that the FG commit to the agreement and take concrete steps towards ensuring quality public university education in the country.
“We have told the FG to declare a state of emergency in the education sector, shut the schools for two or even five years within which it can fix the problem in the sector and ensure quality education in the country.
“It is surprising that it takes the FG the EndSARS protest to call the union back to the negotiation table despite the long period of break imposed by the pandemic. Government believe if the youths were in the classroom, the protest could have been curtailed or minimized.